Free home energy workshop

Just saw the story in the Post Journal about the Chautauqua County Home Energy Workshop this Thursday evening from 7 - 8:30 pm at the JCC Carnahan Training & Conference Center. It's free and open to everyone in the county who is interested in saving money on their energy bills, which makes it a very good idea to attend. If you pre-register on the site, you may even be one of the first 100 people to receive a free CFL. Every little bit helps.

A new year

Now that the holidays have come and gone, we're getting settled into winter.  When it's 22 degrees outside, my idea of a good time is getting comfy in a nest of pillows and blankets on the couch, with the dog and a good book. This is also true when it's in the mid-40's and raining, which is supposed to happen tomorrow. Mother Nature seems to be in the throes of an identity crisis right now.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads here, having to decide whether I want to involve myself, again, in the storm of political activism swirling around me, or to stick to creating a microcosm of the world I want to live in, right here, in my house, my garden, my neighborhood, my little community. I know what's more attractive to me at this point in my life. It's a jolt of adrenalin to be around people who are feeling newly empowered to be a force for positive change. But it also has a downside, especially with thin-skinned people inexperienced in activism (and perhaps totally unsuited for it) who allow way too many personal distractions and dramas to get in the way of constructive activity. Why waste my time dealing with that when I could be cleaning the cat's litter box instead?

The film and discussion series that I've been wanting to happen is actually starting to happen this week. We (the social action committee at the Jamestown UU church) will be screening "The Economics of Happiness" this Wednesday at 7 pm, followed by a discussion on the benefits of localization.  It's being offered FREE and open to the public, with representatives from JTNY as our guests, explaining their new loyalty card program that offers discounts to cardholders who support locally owned businesses.

We've also scheduled two more films for next month, "A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash" on February 1 and "The Power of Community" on February 29. We're hoping for good turnout and good dialogue on these important issues.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting Janet Forbes, director of the Creating Healthy Places project five year initiative funded by the New York State Department of Health to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases.  I had wondered about things like community gardens in Jamestown, and yesterday and I got my answers and then some. Although the program is still in its early stages,  there is already a lot of activity underway to promote the growing, cooking, and eating of healthy foods in neighborhoods where access to these things has been limited. There is also a recreation component to the project, and volunteers are needed and welcomed in whatever capacity they are able to contribute.  Programs are being designed to become a permanent part of the system, so that when the project ends, the programs will continue.  This type of initiative will bring real and positive changes to people's lives.   

As for my own food garden, I'm thinking big for this year. For the future, I'm thinking chickens.

This morning I watched a beautiful sunrise while I was drinking my coffee. Life is good.